The Harry Potter reboot is approaching, and HBO’s new trailer paints a picture that’s both promising and worrying. Ever since it was announced that Harry Potter would be turned into a TV series, rehashing the events of the books and films, there have been questions about whether it’s a worthwhile endeavor. Looking at some of the confirmed changes in HBO’s TV show — from the greater focus on the day-to-day at Hogwarts to the new perspectives — it’s clear there’s room to build on the original adaptations.
The Harry Potter movies cut and condense the source material, a necessity given their limited runtimes. HBO’s series seems to be leaning into fidelity to the books, and it’s even expanding it in places. That’s exciting for anyone who’s been dying to see them properly brought to the screen. However, there’s one book story I could live without — and Season 1 already seems to be laying the groundwork for it.
‘Harry Potter’ Season 1 Seems to Be Setting Up ‘Half-Blood Prince’s Love Triangle
Love triangles were especially popular in the early 2000s and 2010s, and they’re still prominent in storytelling today. It’s no surprise Harry Potter works one into its narrative, but the dynamic between Ron, Hermione, and Lavender Brown almost feels unearned in Half-Blood Prince. After years of building toward Ron and Hermione revealing their feelings for one another, Ron ends up dating Lavender during their sixth year at Hogwarts. Although it gives readers a hilarious new nickname for him, it’s not a connection anyone is likely to see coming, nor does it inspire much support on the page or screen.
And predictably, Ron and Lavender break things off over Hermione. It’s a conclusion that’s obvious from miles away, making it feel like a forced and underwhelming obstacle squeezed in for the sake of drama. It also leans into an unfortunate dynamic where female characters compete with and dislike one another. I wouldn’t be sad to see the whole storyline downplayed in the upcoming reboot.
Unfortunately, HBO seems to be setting up this frustrating love triangle early. While Harry Potter’s characters are too young to worry about romance during their first year at school, the Season 1 trailer places a surprising amount of focus on Lavender. She’s one of two girls Hermione approaches on the Hogwarts Express, hilariously replying to a question about the summer reading with, “There was summer reading?“
It’s a funny one-liner, but it also immediately draws a comparison between the two girls. Lavender also shows up later in the trailer, when she notes that the Sorting Hat will decide their future in a very “no pressure” kind of way. It’s exciting to see supporting players getting more attention in this adaptation, and it will make the Wizarding World feel more well-rounded. Yet I’m hoping that the emphasis on Lavender is for that reason only, and not because the show wants us to care about the love triangle later on.
The ‘Harry Potter’ Show Should Expand on Lavender, but Not Because of Her Later Romance
The choice to make Lavender more than a girl obsessed with Ron during year six of Hogwarts is a smart one for the Harry Potter show, but only if it’s doing it for her sake. The instant tension between her and Hermione makes me worried that it’s setting up the looming love triangle to be more dramatic and divisive than it needs to be. Lavender absolutely deserves the development that characters like Neville, and even Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, receive. It needs more of a purpose than laying the foundation for an already-frustrating story, however. Hopefully, the Harry Potter series understands that and portrays her accordingly.
- Release Date
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2026 – 2026
- Showrunner
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Francisca Gardiner
- Directors
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Mark Mylod
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
